The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-07-09
FEARFUL EXPLOSION.

The Danger OF Intrusting the Care OF an DO
Engine to Incompetent Hands Terribly
Fxempllfled-A sad List of Casualties ana .
Heavy Loss of Valuable Property.
BELLEvILIE, ILL.,, July "A terrible &C
cldent occurred yesterday morning on the
farm OF John Barth, about three miles
southeast of Mascoutah, Ill. An engine
of threshing machine exploded while
number Of men were around it, with
awful effect. The following is q list OF
the victims:
John Plab, killed.
VIII Plab, both legs brol-Sn
Herman Lenkemeyer, arm blown of
Peter Dumond, slightly injured.
Edward Schutler, leg broken.
The water was allowed to get too low
In the boiler and more was lot in while
the boiler was hot. The explosion fol-
lowed. 1t was shortly after six o'clock
when Peter Dumond and John Plab ar
rived at the Barth farm with the thresh-
ing-machine. Dumoud owned the ma
chine and has been doing nearly all the
threshing for farmers in the vicinity OF
Mascoutah
Yesterday was the time set for his visit
to the Barth farm, land when no arrived
with the machine all the farm hands
were at the gate TO meet him. Diamond
had engaged John Plab, a young man
twenty years Of age, as engineer, and the
latter raised steam. When the machine
had been placed in position on the farm
Dumond climbed up on the machine, ano
remarked to Plab:
"Johnnie, you have got more steam on
than you ought to have"
"Al right" said Plab, 81 will remedy
that.n
Plab attempted to put in some more
water. The terrible explosion followed
The machine was blown up in the all
and lodged on the thresher about ter
feet distant Plab was carried seventy
five feet in the air and instantly killed.
Both his legs were blown off, and one Of
them was found nearly block from the
sce-e of the accident. sa.. .r..ls
A younger brother, who was standing
near the machine, had both his legs
broken. Peter Dumond, Herman Lenke
meyer and Edward Scautler were arrang'
ing the thresher at the instant of the eX
| plosion, and when the engine struck the
| thresher Dumond and Schuetler were
knocked to the ground and LenlSemeyet
was knocked down and Imprisoned be-
tween the engine and the separator. Oae OF
Schuetler's legs was broken, but Dumond
was only slightyin iured. Lenkemeyer's
position was perilous and he would
probably have been burned to death ha
not other farm -hauds, who were in safe
pos ition when the explosion occurred.
came quickly to his rescue, When taker
out of the burning thresher one of his
arms was found to have been torn off, anc
was afterward amputated.
Two fine horses which had been left
standing near the engine were Instantly
killed. When the engine lodged onthe
thresher the latter Immediately took fire,
and in about ten minutes after the explo
sion was reduced to ashes, together witt
two farm wagons which were in close
proximity.
The no Use of the explosion was heard
mile or, more distant and in less thar
fifteen minutes after it had occurred
there were hundreds of people at the
scene. Physicians were brought. from
Mascoutah and every thing possible was
done toalleviate the sufferings Of the in
iured.l The condition OF, the youngest
Plab is very serious and he may die.
John Plab, the young man Killed. was
twenty years of age, ami was an intelli
gent you'll. farmer, but had very little eX
perience with machinery HE probably
had no idea how low the water in the
boiler of the engine was or he would not
have attempted to putmore in while the
boiler was 30 hot When picked up his
body was unrecogqiz bic. Both legs hnd
1 been blown OF close to the 9bDdy and his
face was awfully, blackened and Scared,
i Dumond, the owrer Of the machine, who
escaped without any serious injary, is
well-kpown all over, the country, he hay.
ing for years done all the threshing foI
farmers around Mascoutah. He was
fairly ell-to-do. fE ,.,r,fI...
A sad feature in connection with thu
accident was that the father Of the Plab
boy, who is confined in the county jail on
peace warrant, had tho news broken to
him In his cell He was nearly heart.
broken with grief, and the flct that he
could not go to them made his anguish ali
the more keen. i.i- l'
|